Pilar Domingo-Calap, a researcher at the University of Valencia (UV) in the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), has been awarded one of the 'Women Tech EU' awards, awarded to women who are leading the transformation of the industry in Europe. Endowed with 75,000 euros, the prize will be mainly aimed at renovating and expanding the laboratories of Evolving Therapeutics, located in the UV
Women Tech EU is an action funded by the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE, Horizon Europe) programme, which supports start-ups founded and run by women. In addition to a non-dilutive grant of 75,000 euros, the winners receive personalized mentoring and specific training to scale their innovations and boost their entrepreneurship. According to the call, "the success of these pioneering women is transforming industries and demonstrating the transformative impact of women in technology". Pilar Domingo-Calap has been recognized in the sector 'Biotechnology, Life Sciences and Agrotechnology'.
Since the elaboration and reading in 2012 with Extraordinary Prize of her doctoral thesis, Pilar Domingo is dedicated to the study and evolution of bacteriophages -or phages-, viruses that affect exclusively bacteria. Today, phages are the basis of an innovative technology to combat multi-resistant bacteria-a serious threat to human, animal and plant health-developed by EVOLVING Therapeutics, company of which Pilar Domingo is founding partner and scientific director.
About EVOLVING Therapeutics
Created in 2023 as a spin-off of the University of Valencia and located in the academic institution’s Science Park, EVOLVING isolates phages from the environment, characterizes and optimizes them in the laboratory and produces therapeutic vials. "Our solution is an ecological, safe, precise and effective alternative against multidrug-resistant bacteria that are not treatable with the available antibiotics because they have become resistant to them," says Pilar Domingo.
The company, in collaboration with its research group at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), has since 2023 carried out a total of 15 compassionate last-resort treatments in patients with chronic infections caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium abscessus; and is awaiting official approval to conduct its first clinical trial. "The treatments we have carried out have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of phages for infections that were not treatable with current antibiotics. To date, we have addressed chronic infections, mostly in people with cystic fibrosis or lung infections, but also with prosthetic infections. And the results support the use of this therapy in clinic. We hope that clinical trials will support this therapy as a solution available to any patient," the scientist concludes.
About Pilar Domingo-Calap
Pilar Domingo-Calap is a researcher at I2SysBio, where she leads the group of Environmental and Biomedical Virology, made up of 15 people and with 9 doctoral theses in progress. It has more than 70 scientific articles, including Nat Commun, Nat Microbiol, Plos Genetics, Cell Reports or MED. Has reviewed more than 100 articles and is an associate editor for Microbiology Spectrum, Front Virol and BioDesign Res. Leads national and international research projects worth more than two million euros, as well as various contracts with companies.
"We are proud to be part of Women TechEU and we are very eager to learn and continue growing in the framework of an increasingly large community of women, since we are still few in the sector and in entrepreneurship", Pilar Domingo-Calap, researcher at I2SysBio
Since 2022 it has been awarded several awards, such as the Young Virologist Award (Spanish Society of Virology), the III International Zendal Award in Human Health, the I+D+i prize from the CASER Foundation, AgrotecUV, or VLCStartUp, among others. The Women Tech EU is now a recognition of the effort and support for the pioneering and innovative work of the Valencian researcher, co-founder of the spin-off EVOLVING together with her sister, Marisa Domingo Calap, CEO of the spin-off. "Getting support from Europe makes us think that we are on the right track. We are proud to be part of Women TechEU and look forward to learning and growing as part of an ever-growing community of women, as we are still few in the industry and entrepreneurship." The prize will be awarded primarily for the renovation and extension of the company’s laboratories.
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